Maharashtra: Men gangrape eight-month pregnant woman after locking up husband
Eight men allegedly gangraped an eight-month pregnant woman after thrashing her and her husband and robbing them in Sangli, Maharashtra. They then tied, gagged and locked the man up in his car and assaulted her, even as she begged to be released due to her condition. The state women's panel yesterday sought a report from police, who are yet to arrest anyone three days after the crime.
The men had lured the couple on some pretext
The hotelier and his 20-year-old wife were looking to hire a couple for their hotel business, when one of the accused, Mukund Mane, called them to say he knew of prospective candidates. He then called them to Turchi Phata in Tasgaon to meet the couple and asked them to bring Rs. 20,000 as advance payment. But when they reached Tuesday morning, the men attacked.
'We're very influential, nobody will listen to you': Accused threatened
The eight allegedly looted the couple of their cash and gold, assaulted them with sticks and pipes, and then raped the woman. They warned them against approaching police, claiming "they were very influential and nobody will listen to the couple." But the husband and wife reached the Tasgaon police station, where she could name four of the accused: Mane, Sagar, Javed Khan and Vinod.
Opposition urges quick action, transfer of case to outside Sangli
The opposition has demanded strict punishment for the accused. NCP leader Chitra Wagh called it "a blot on humanity." Shiv Sena's Neelam Gorhe urged CM Devendra Fadnavis to ask officials concerned to arrest the culprits immediately, and requested police to transfer the case from Sangli to Satara to ensure impartial investigation. Maharashtra Women's Commission Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar also wrote to the Sangli SP to personally look into the case.
